More Creation – Less Consumption in 2016

Haven’t blogged in a long time. I have numerous draft blogs that never seem to get published… Needless to say, 2015 is ending and we’re moving right along into 2016 and this new year I’ve decided to create more and consume less. I will no longer allow myself to be a dumping ground for useless information or negativity and that’s exactly what the news is.

Overconsumption of Information and Stuff

We’re consumers. We consume everything from food to news and what we consume influences our health and well-being. Many of us are guilty over-consuming, including myself. This year is going to be different for me and my reasoning might be helpful to you.

News Overconsumption

With the Internet and social media, news from all over the world is readily at our fingertips. From television news to Facebook posts and discussion/debates among peers, bad news travels fast, far, and wide.

In the evenings I typically watch the news. If you’re like me, you watch the news too. For some odd reason we find importance in this tradition. Maybe you have a news App on your phone or a preferred channel to gather the information. Either way, many of overconsume the news and the majority of it is bad or negative.

Facebook Overconsumption

According to statistics, during the last quarter of 2015 Facebook had nearly 1.5 billion monthly active users with 1.3 billion logging onto the social network via their mobile device. There’s only slightly over 300 million people in the U.S. and approximately 7 billion people worldwide. Half of the world’s population is on Facebook… Isn’t that astonishing?

Facebook, albeit a great social network to keep in touch with friends, can become a time consumer. From news to life events to silly shit, Facebook is a popular place to hang out on a daily basis. Facebook has become a major part of our lives. Are we consuming too much information?

Netflix Overconsumption

There’s a new series available on Netflix that’s popular… Do you watch these? Many of my friends and family have netflix and it’s a great place to waste time. It consumes hours of our time while we idly sit back and watch the television. A series like ‘Sons of Anarchy’ (for instance) is popular and filled with murder, rape, and all sorts of garbage. Why do we allow such trash into our minds?

More Stuff – More Consumption

What about stuff? Not sure about you but I have too much stuff. A garage full of stuff that I haven’t used in years but don’t want to get rid of because I might eventually need to use it. Or stuff all over the house? I’m referring to material items that aren’t necessarily needed.

Having so much stuff can be mind-boggling – Literally! They say cleanliness is next to Godliness and having too much material belongings adds to the chatter that distracts from creativity.

The Problems with Being a Consumer

One of the biggest issues that I’ve discovered with being a consumer of information and stuff is that it is food for our minds. Whatever we watch, read and listen to plays a huge role in our health and wellbeing. If we hear news of a flu spreading we talk about it, share it with our friends on facebook and eventually… almost inevitably we bring that flu into our lives. What if we hadn’t heard the news of the flu? Would it affect us? Are we victims of a placebo effect?

Perception and Reflection

As humans we have 5 senses. Touch, Sight, Taste, Smell and Sound. Our senses provide data needed for perception. Our individual perceptions of life, through our senses becomes our reality. If we continue to stand in the face of negativity and garbage, it alters or builds our perceptions. Our perception of life is all that we have and the only way to protect or program what we perceive with our senses is to change what we’re feeding them. From perception there’s only reflection. Our lives become a reflection of our perception. (I realize this is dipping down the rabbit hole and will expound on it later in future blogs)

My New Policies for 2016

Being a consumer of information, data, and stuff is a choice and it cuts into or eliminates creativity. We can literally become a garbage dump of useless or negative information and news which ultimately affects our lives. This is something I’ve come to recognize over the last 45 years of life.

After realizing just how much I’ve consumed and collected throughout the years I’m making some personal changes in my life that will not only improve myself, my perception and reflection, but also those around me. From this point forward I’m not going to watch television, netflix or the news. I’m also not going to get into discussions about the garbage floating around in the world today.

Here’s a few areas I’m changing:

I don’t care who becomes President of the U.S. – Yep, I don’t give a shit. No matter who becomes President, life is going to go on. There’s going to be good and bad but I will not allow myself to get involved or consume the bullshit surrounded by next year’s election.

I will NOT watch the news – Most of it is negative. News can change economies and influence people. Fear, doom and gloom will not be part of my life any longer. If it’s really important I’ll hear about it through close friends and family.

I’m done with Television – As much as I enjoy golf, I’d rather play then watch. I’m also not going to spend another minute sitting idly in front of a television screen consuming whatever is delivered.

It’s tough to not get caught up in the daily rat race but it’s important to recognize that which we’re consuming. This is all part of designing a better lifestyle. Not talking about it anymore but doing it. Change is hard, especially when we’ve been comfortable for so long.

The ‘walking dead’ is essentially what we’ll become if we keep feeding our minds with bullshit. This is a journey, and it’s life changing and I’m excited about what the future holds.

With that, I’m also going to blog and write more often. So many of us have books within them that never get written. I refuse to be that guy. Thanks for reading, I look forward to your comments and have a wonderful 2016! Make 2016 the year for less consumption and more creation.